


Sunset Oceans

by kanamidos



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, anything postgrad will probably be more domestic instead of ensquare/!! tl, chapter notes will have more info than the tags in order to not clutter this up, this is just a collection of short and sweet fics of Them, this will Not be updated regularly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21549538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanamidos/pseuds/kanamidos
Summary: short stories focused on seaside breezes, sunlit waters, and the ocean itself.(a chiakaokana fic collection; this pairing is so sweet please consider them)
Relationships: Hakaze Kaoru/Morisawa Chiaki/Shinkai Kanata
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	1. Story One: Sunset Oceans

**Author's Note:**

> IM SO EXCITED TO FINALLY BE RELEASING THIS!! ive had this idea and some of these stories for around 8 months now but only now am i posting it heheheh... like the tags said this will not be on regular updates and the only schedule this really has is "when i make a new one" fkdjlgjkldf
> 
> i hope you enjoy these works!!

The sight of the ocean that faces the hill isn’t a new sight to anyone at Yumenosaki. All anyone would have to do is look out the window and depending on the window you look from, the ocean would be there like always. If you looked from the rooftop it would also be incredibly easy to spot the friendly neighbor who’s waves lap hello as if it was the only thing it knew how to do.

Catching that same ocean at sunset isn’t incredibly new to most students either. Perhaps a club activity would run later than planned and a glance to the sea on the walk home would give them the sight of orange waters as the sun prepares to descend for the day. Maybe some people would go to the evening waters on purpose to calm down from stress or just to enjoy the sight of the sun sinking into the ocean as it casts its last light upon the sands of the beach.

Despite the beauty of it all, not many people make attempts to understand why it’s so breathtaking in the first place. Few people even take the time to acknowledge the sea as something more than the sea that faces the hill. But the few people who feel so passionate as to say they’re connected to the very sea make every attempt possible to make “normal” people understand.

Which is the exact situation Chiaki finds himself in right now.

Had he known it would have turned into an almost hour long lecture from Kanata and Kaoru he would have said he was busy, wished the two a good night, and gone off to do his own activities for the evening. However, something within him made him say yes to this silly little beach outing. He’s not sure why he agreed in the first place. It’s not like he wouldn’t have seen them later as the three have been spending more nights together than any usual friend group would.

Come to think of it, Chiaki starts to think that they aren’t very normal to begin with for a lot of reasons. It could maybe be the fact that Kanata is in the group (which automatically brands you weird for even breathing next to him). Maybe it’s because their lives as high school boys has been far less than normal to begin with. 

Chiaki decides however, it’s probably the whole dating each other thing all three of them have going on.

“Are you ‘listening?’”

Kanata’s gentle voice is just enough to snap Chiaki back into reality with a jolt. He lifts his head from its current position on Kaoru’s lap and looks to green eyes untouched by the deep orange hues painting the beach around the three of them. “O-of course! I wouldn’t ignore something so important to you after all..!” He can hear Kaoru scoff from behind him.

“Sure you were. I saw you almost fall asleep a few times~.” Kaoru puts a hand on Chiaki’s hair and fluffs it around causing flustered noises from said Chiaki. “Can’t appreciate how beautiful the ocean is at this time of day if you’re not even paying attention or awake to see it.”

Before he can even open his mouth to respond, Chiaki hears Kanata’s gentle laughter instead as he reaches a hand behind his back to poke Kaoru. “No need to ‘tease’ him, Kaoru. Chiaki is still a ‘growing boy,’ is he not?” Kanata takes his finger off of Kaoru’s cheek only to move it to Chiaki’s. “Perhaps I’ll just have to tell him about it ‘again’ when we get home.”

Chiaki looks off into the distance where the sun is starting to slowly dip into the endless ocean in front of him while ignoring Kanata’s index finger making slow and lazy strokes down his face. The waters show no traces of the crystal blue it carried in the morning, only a blazing orange that makes Chiaki wonder if the ocean is a field of passionate fire as opposed to the calm waters he sees outside the window of the classroom every afternoon.

The two boys on either side of him seem to notice the silence as they both lean their heads against Chiaki’s own. He hears Kanata sigh against him while Kaoru decides it’s now his turn to lie his head on Chiaki’s lap for no reason. Despite the dropping temperatures due to a lack of sunlight he can’t help but feel his entire body heat up. A hand moves to Kaoru’s hair in an impulse action and he starts to run his fingers through the soft hair, to which he receives soft hums in return.

Kaoru turns his head to the ocean and sighs while Chiaki keeps petting silky blonde hair. “You’re really gentle, Moricchi. It’s almost like you’re afraid of hurting me or something.” A quiet laugh from Kaoru that’s covered by the lapping waves.

Soft and slow laughter as Chiaki feels the person to his left shift around a bit. Kanata moves one of his own hands to Kaoru’s head while still keeping his own leaned against Chiaki’s. “Chiaki is very ‘gentle,’ isn’t he?” Kanata decides to join the fun now and begins to stroke the hair underneath his hand. “We’re both very ‘lucky’ to have such a gentle and loving ‘boyfriend.’”

“You… really think so?” Both of the sitting boys look down to Kaoru in a state of near confusion as to why he’d deny such a claim. “Well, I can say that I’m equally lucky to have the best boyfriends I could ask for.~”

A moment or two of silence only challenged by the waves softly brushing against the sands of the beach. “Ah, we got a little ‘sidetracked,’ hm?” Kanata’s gentle voice manages to shatter the silence as Chiaki and Kaoru look to him. They see him turn his head back to the ocean with a bob of the head (and stray hair on the head). “I think the ‘sea’ looks beautiful tonight. Perhaps even more ‘breathtaking’ than usual.~”

Everyone that isn’t Kanata has to take a second and wonder if that statement really means anything to Kanata.

The other two boys turn their own gazes to the waters ahead of them. Like Kanata said, they really can’t deny the sea looking pretty. How the orange reflecting off the waters like glass slowly dies off in trade for richer reds and a touch of inky blues and purples would make even the most uninterested people stop and take the moment in. 

The stars in the skies which grow murkier and darker by the second decide it’s a good time to show themselves, twinking softly as if they were waving hello to the waves below. It’s a sight that seems so fantasy, so unreal, so simple out of reality’s reach. But the fact that it’s here, it’s really here, would make possibly anyone think otherwise.

Chiaki has to wonder to himself if people like Kanata and Kaoru would ever get bored of this sight. He sure hopes not, otherwise he wouldn’t have an excuse to come to this beach again one of these days.

A look to Kanata, then Kaoru, then Kanata again. “Do you two just know when the ocean is gonna look the best?”

He can feel Kaoru shrug from his lying down position and almost cryptic sounding giggles from Kanata. “The ocean looks the best ‘all the time.’” He takes one of Chiaki’s hands in his own, sand from the beach lingering on both of them. “But I think it looks the ‘best’ when I’m with you two.”

Kaoru finally lifts his head up from Chiaki’s lap and sends a playful glare to Kanata. “Can you not be overly gay and sappy for once, Kanacchi?” He also takes the time to grab Chiaki’s free hand with one of his. “I like being loved and all, but you don’t need to make it sound so gross and cheesy.~”

Chiaki hears another round of banter between the two go off but he can’t hear it over the sounds of the night. Perhaps he doesn’t care. Or the calming twilight ocean is more important in this moment. It’s pretty, sure. But maybe Kanata’s overly cheesy remark earlier proves true.

His boyfriends seem to catch on to his silence and before he knows it, a kiss to either cheek followed by the feelings of two people snuggling against his sides. Chiaki looks to either side of him to see the two looking just as lost in the endless stretch of ocean ahead and he can’t help but smile.

Perhaps it _does_ look the best when they were together.


	2. Story Two: Cold and Warm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!! this part is actually a little more recent but with it now being december and the colder season i thought id release this part a little earlier before it becomes outdated tkjnhjtdkr
> 
> enjoy this chapter in which chiaki and kaoru are Moms and worry way too much about their sick puka puka who doesnt seem to care and has other things in mind aside from getting over a cold~
> 
> this chapter is also domestic postgrad (no ensquare au(?) bc enst!! isnt out yet) because this is my fanfiction and i get to choose if canon exists

There are some questions that can never be answered. What is the meaning of life? If a tree falls and nobody is around, does it make a sound? What out of these two great things is the best?

None of these questions even remotely compare to the question three boys are faced with at the moment. It’s a simple question. But pretty much impossible to answer.

Who in their right mind let Kanata swim around in the dead of winter?

At least, Kanata thinks this is the question. It’s hard to focus on anything through his fogged up senses and mild headache that feels a lot more like a splintering migraine. He grabs the baby blue blanket he’s currently nestled within and hugs it tighter, a sense of warmth comforting him for a second or two.

“Kanacchi, please answer. WHY did you go swimming in the ocean when it’s winter!? Y’know, when we tell you all the time not to!?” Kaoru’s voice is a little far off. Kanata assumes he’s getting more blankets or something of the sort. “It’s what, probably negative five million degrees outside this time of year?”

“I wanted to ‘bubble’ with all my friends.~” As if it was scripted, a concerningly loud sneeze follows his answer which grabs the attention of everyone around him. Kanata can hear the soft fomf of soft material hitting the floor and soon the rapid pitter patter of Kaoru’s socks on the wooden floor replaces it. And within the blink of an eye, one adorable Kaoru is right next to him brushing stray hairs out of his eyes with a touch so gentle, Kanata even wonders how something so feather light can belong to a human.

It barely takes a minute for Chiaki to come running out of the kitchen into the room as well, almost tripping over himself multiple times in the mad heroic dash to his partner. “Kanata!? You’re okay, right!?” Chiaki puts his hand on Kanata’s forehead a few times in vaguely slapping manner which clearly tells all that this boy has never cared for someone under the weather ever in his life before.

Kanata laughs a little bit then follows up with a quiet sniffle. “You two are ‘so protective’ over me. I just have a ‘small cold.’ Nothing to ‘worry’ over.~” He wiggles an arm out of the blanket he’s nestled in and reaches for a jellyfish plush near his feet, taking it into his arms and squeezing it softly.

Chiaki quickly puts a finger over Kanata’s lips with a gentle touch that feels rough at the same time. Even if it’s just his finger, Kanata can feel that classic Chiaki warmth coursing through every part of his body. “W-what if it’s something worse!? You can’t just go around and say you’re not feeling well all happy and stuff! Are you not taking this seriously!?” The breath is squeezed right out of Kanata as Chiaki tightly embraces him with a death grip disguised as a hug. “Kanata!! You promised me that evening you wouldn’t die on me!!!”

The intense squishing of his entire body soon lessens as Kanata spots Kaoru behind Chiaki in the corner of his eye, prying the concerned boyfriend off him. “Okay, Moricchi. It’s alright to worry about Kanacchi and if he’s doing okay. But I don’t think anyone has ever died of a common cold to my knowledge.”

Chiaki grabs Kaoru’s face near instantly, squishing his cheeks in a way that makes Kanata smile warmly. “What if he becomes the first!?” His tone is oddly low, like he actually believes he could die of a cold. “This is serious, Hakaze! He’ll die!”

“Chiaki.” It takes him everything he has to not burst out laughing at Chiaki’s genuine concern for him. “I will not ‘die.’ You and ‘Kaoru’ are keeping me very ‘warm.’” He follows the statement up with a soft sneeze and soon hears Chiaki lose his mind and a soft coo of adoration from Kaoru.

“A-are you sure!?” 

Kanata hears Kaoru sigh. “Yes, Morichhi. He just said so himself.” He runs a hand through his long hair, which has noticeably lengthed since their graduation. “If Kanacchi has trust in himself, I think we should trust him too. It’s the least we can do for him.~”

A sigh of relief from Chiaki. “I hope Kanata’s right then…” He turns his head to the bundled up Kanata and flashes a soft smile that warms his heart enough for him to feel a bit hot underneath all the fleece and fluff. “Sorry about all of that… do you need anything? It’s the only way we can repay you after all of that!” He bows his head for extra measure, like he was apologizing for ruining his whole life or something.

What does he need right now? He certainly doesn’t need more blankets or marine life plushies considering the couch he’s seated on is littered with them. He doesn’t need any meals either, at least from Chiaki anyways. Nor does he need a quick rest as he woke up from a nap earlier. Does he really need much?

Right before he lets the question hold no more significance to him, his eyes light up and a smile finds way to him. Surely they would help him in any way they can. So it would only make sense for them to help him with this. No matter how much they objected.

“I want… I want ‘you two’ to cuddle me.”

He hears a weird noise from Kaoru that sounds almost inhuman. “You want us… to what?”

Kanata bobs his head to the side and giggles innocently like he didn’t know what the hell he just said. “You heard me. ‘Cuddle me.’”

“Are you INSANE!? You’re sick for God’s sake! You’ll get me and Moricchi sick too, and then who’s gonna take care of us!? Maybe we’ll die like Moricchi said!”

Kaoru takes a breath to prepare another round of protest but he spots Chiaki moving in closer to Kanata and getting under one of the many blankets on the couch. “Hakaze! There’s plenty of room for you! We should trust Kanata like you said!”

Sounds that vaguely sound like language come out of Kaoru but no coherent thought follows. “Y-yes, I said that… b-but it’s common sense not to cuddle a sick person! Trusting him on saying he won’t die and cuddling him aren’t even comparable! You’re gonna get us all sick and then-”

Before he can even finish his thought, Chiaki pats the spot next to him with an inviting smile that speaks of ‘Yeah. You KNOW you wanna cuddle your sick boyfriend.’

Deciding he really has nothing more to lose. Kaoru reluctantly moves to the other side of Kanata and settles himself under one of the blankets. Kanata’s smile only grows as he finally gets a chance to strike after all these days, placing a quick kiss to Kaoru’s cheek. He makes a weird noise in response but soon places an arm over his shoulder, pulling him in closer. Kanata can feel Kaoru’s warmth which is a calming and comforting sensation to a very cold person.

It doesn’t take long for Chiaki to see the display and retaliate, peppering kisses all over Kanata’s cheeks and nose as if he was trying to prove himself as a better boyfriend. Chiaki wraps his arms around Kanata’s body and squishes him into a hug, this one actually comforting and giving the impression that all his organs are not being squeezed violently. He rests his head on Kanata’s chest and another round of hot sensation washes over Kanata, enough to make him want to wiggle out of his blanket cocoon to not risk dying of overheating.

Soon silence follows, nothing but the soft breaths and synced heartbeats of the three. Kaoru gently runs a hand through Kanata’s blue hair and sighs. “We’re all going to be sick tomorrow. This is your fault.” Kanata can hear a barely audible laugh as he rests his head on his shoulder. “It’s all your fault for being so cute. Damn you and your cuteness.”

“Yeah! If you weren’t so cute..!” Chiaki’s words trail off as he snuggles deeper towards Kanata, the words lost forever. Kanata takes in a deep breath and lets his eyes slowly flutter shut as he feels his boyfriends cuddle _that bit_ closer to him.

Who cares if they’re all going to be sick by tomorrow morning? If this was what comes with it, then Kanata doesn’t mind it one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> youre always free to suggest ideas for future chapters to me on twitter (@kanamidos) if you feel so inclined to!~ or just talk to me about chkkn or somethin listen i love them


	3. Story Three: Skip a Beat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3rd chapter time! im honestly surprised ive made it this far along considering im terrible with keeping schedules (not like this has one anyways) and finding motivation to make new chapters on a whim..... i am a good writer i swear
> 
> nothing too much in this one, just some mindless fluff as kanata and kaoru convince chiaki to skip class with them just so they can have some more time to be stupid and gay together because theyre stupid and gay

Chiaki’s normal routine consists of going to club activities before the break of dawn, attending the same sleep inducing boring classes, and starting a typical unit practice with Ryuseitai until the same sun he saw at dawn sinks down below the sea at dusk. This routine is something that’s been a constant in his life ever since he enrolled in the school, and rarely is he ever willing to break it for any reason whatsoever.

It makes him wonder why he was willing to do so today as he sits idly in the marine biology clubroom. The soft sounds of water and the occasional hushed bonk of a fish hitting glass here and there are the only things around him to keep him from drifting off to sleep again, which is something his mind is begging for considering the early hour it is.

He mindlessly pulls out his phone, unlocking it while he doesn’t notice the involuntary smile as his eyes get drawn to the adorable selfie Kaoru took of himself, Kanata, and Chiaki that serves as his homescreen, complete with drawn on whiskers and ears on each boy. His finger lazily taps the messaging system and he once again reads over the texts his boyfriends sent him in their group chat. Sure enough, the texts read about coming to the marine biology room bright and early with some needless (but cute) kaomoji added from Kaoru.

A sigh echos through the mostly empty room as Chiaki turns his phone off and snuggles under the blanket he found on the small couch in the room. He can feel himself starting to drift away from reality as his eyes start to grow heavy, and with one last snuggle into the blanket-

“Moricchi! Sorry we’re late!”

The sheer shock of the quiet atmosphere being broken so simply jolts Chiaki right awake, accompanied by a little squeak that seemed to be cute enough to get Kanata to smile like an idiot.

The dark silhouettes of Kaoru and Kanata in the doorway become more visible as they step into the clubroom together, hand in hand and smiling at Chiaki like he was the last person in the world capable of making people happy. Their hands untie and not shortly after they plop down on the couch on either side of Chiaki, now realizing the two are slightly damp and carry the scent of sea salt with them.

“We would have been here ‘sooner,’ but we went to the ‘ocean’ before the ‘sun’ went up.~” Kanata bobs around a bit, soft enough not to move the cushions or people around. “It was very ‘pretty.’ You should have ‘been there.~’”

“Yeah… it was pretty breathtaking this morning, more than usual for sure.” Kaoru turns his head to his boyfriend under the pink blanket, a sheepish grin on his face. “...sorry for not telling you we’d be so long. If Kanacchi didn’t start that stupid splash fight…” His eyes now go to Kanata, a look of disappointment trying to fake its way over an adoring smile for him.

Chiaki readjusts himself and the blanket, laughing all the while. “You two are so cute! Maybe I should come along if I would have known you were gonna have all that fun…” His head lulls to the side, resting on Kanata’s shoulder. Another quick repositioning of the blanket. “So… why are we all here? Isn’t it early? Classes should be starting soon…”

“Oh, about that.” Kaoru pulls his phone out and flips the cover off, starting to mindlessly answer some texts. “I figured I’d just dedicate a little time for us to be together for a little bit without having to wait until we all got home. Nothing much, really.~” He flips the cover back on the front and tucks the device away in his jacket pocket. “It’s not like the higher ups give a damn about us third years cutting class anymore with graduation coming closer and closer.”

All Chiaki can do it blankly stare ahead of him, not even paying attention to the blurry shapes of aquatic friends slowly meandering around in the waters in his sight. Kaoru doe have a point with the third years being less and less needed in classes… he honestly can’t remember a time since the Starlight Festival where it was absolutely mandatory the upperclassmen be present. But just skipping like it wasn’t a problem at all? It’s something that makes him squirm around a bit, just the thought alone feels unheroic.

But Kaoru was still on track to have any worthwhile career when he was notorious in certain circles for never showing up in the past. And Kanata… he was still looking at a promising future despite Chiaki’s memories not being able to remember a single time Kanata stepped foot in a classroom. So if his boyfriends were used to this sort of thing with no negative effects from it and the third years weren’t needed much anymore... it should be fine, right?

“I guess it’s fine… just this once, okay?” He turns to each of the cute boys settled on either side of him and gives them each a quick kiss on the cheek for confirmation. “You’re lucky I love you two…”

“And ‘Chiaki’ is lucky I ‘love him’ too.~” Kanata moves a hair to Chiaki’s hair to ruffle it around, earning soft hums of affection in return. He leans his head forward a bit to meet his eyes with Kaoru’s on the other side of Chiaki, soft stormy grey shining with adoration of some sort. “Now that ‘everyone’ is here… shall we ‘start’ our planned activities?”

Chiaki quirks an eyebrow. “...planned activities?” He snuggles in a bit closer to Kanata, practically lying on top of him at this point while still sitting mostly upright. “You’re telling me you had something planned for us..?”

The room’s generally peaceful atmosphere of soft rolling waters becomes no more in an instant thanks to Kaoru’s laughter, which is more than enough to disturb the immediate area. “Truth be told, Moricchi… there’s nothing planned That’s the plan.” He puts his arms behind his head. “Nothing at all. Nadda.”

“T-then why are we here!?” The pink blanket moves around like he was trying to escape its warm clutches but Kanata and Kaoru figure he’s just doing some exaggerated reaction he would find on his weird hero shows.

The melodies of Kaoru’s laughs fill the clubroom once again but with a tone of nervousness subtly laced within. “So we can do nothing, Moricchi. We’re doing nothing for the sake of doing nothing.~”

The two boys on either side of him catch a faint glimpse of Chiaki adorning a rare (but adorable) pout on his face. “What does that even mean…?” He readjusts himself a little more, his head now resting on Kanata’s chest.

A finger lazily drags itself down his cheek without any warnings, the cold touch jolting his mind. “I ‘think’ Kaoru is trying to ‘say’ that we’re not going to do ‘anything’ for the sake of ‘being together.’ Doing ‘something’ would distract us from ‘each other,’ no?~” Kanata quickly moves his finger to lay a small boop to Chiaki’s nose.

“I… I guess that makes more sense if you put it that way.” Chiaki finally gets up from his resting position against Kanata and sits upright again, loosening himself from the fluffy hell known as the blanket. Taking the edges in his hands, it doesn’t take much effort to lean over his boyfriends and drop the blanket’s edge on their laps. He can feel the two tug the pink fabric towards them and soon enough if one were to peer into the mostly empty marine bio clubroom, they’d be greeted to a cuddly pink mass of fluff on the couch.

Just as that’s said and done, the three catch the gentle ring of the sound to indicate classes starting. All it takes is one glance at each other to burst out laughing for absolutely no reason, the harmonies and gentle tones of each boy making the others question whether or not his boyfriends are really angels pretending to be humans. The sound indicating class starting and subsequently reminding them that they’re not even in class to begin with fades out, soon lost to time if anyone even cared in the first place.

“So…” Kaoru’s voice is threatening loud against the silence, but not like the two people who loved it more than anything mind it. “How is everyone this morning? Did you have a good week or something?” He doesn’t seem to notice his head slowly lulling to the side until it makes contact with Chiaki’s shoulder.

“I had a good ‘day’ yesterday.” Likewise, Kanata lowers his head to rest on Chiaki’s other shoulder, a soft hum following. “‘Everyday’ is a ‘good day’ when I’m with ‘you two.~’ So ‘today’ should be just as good. Every day is ‘good’ if I can ‘spend it’ with the ones I love.~”

Chiaki puts his arms around the two and manages to pull them closer to him if such a thing was possible, considering how close they are to him to begin with. “I have to agree with Kanata. I feel really happy when I’m with you two.” He leans his head back and peacefully sighs. “Nothing will ever change that.”

He can feel the two snuggle even closer to him, no words being needed to express their feelings in response. Chiaki can hear some banter start from the two but a part of him can’t really bother to focus in on it. All his focus is only on his overwhelming love for the two people who love him just as much, and just knowing that is enough to bring him just enough peace of mind to let him relax for the first time today since waking up.

As Kanata and Kaoru start exchanging (probably) useless fish facts, Chiaki lets his head fall back a bit to make contact with the plush cushion behind him. Perhaps Kanata had a point, every day is a good day if the three of them could simply enjoy each other’s company and love and have nothing interfere with said love.

Therefore, Chiaki figures the full blown argument his boyfriends are having over made up aquatic fact accusations is just another way love happens between the three of them.


	4. Story Four: New Year, New Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> were back baby..... happy belated holidays and happy belated new years!! heres to another year of cute boyfriends (clinks glass full of grape juice)
> 
> this one was originally supposed to be released before new years rolled around but alas, it did not come out back then judging by how im posting it now. i didnt want to let it rot in my doc i write all these stories on though, so i decided to just post it anyways. this is also the first story here to breach 2k (barely!) so idk if "short stories" is holding up very well now kgtrkjdnh
> 
> enjoy this part! in which i go off of an untranslated story (holiparty) for the beginning and then i accidentally made it a bit serious at one point but its okay theyre all in love so theyre happy at the end. theyre in love.

The first thing Kaoru notices upon leaving the restaurant is how much more bitter the cold has become. Sure, it wasn’t warm outside when he arrived at the door, not even close by January weather standards. But at least it wasn’t bitingly cold enough to deem his thick and fluffy winter coat somewhat useless against the frigid air complete with gentle breezes that would be fine normally, but now? Kaoru is convinced Hell froze over and he was in that said Hell.

He glances over to his right, where he catches sight of Kanata and Chiaki idly chatting, adjusting their scarves and coats for optimal warmth against the chilly breezes. The collars and sleeves of the fancier attire they had performed in pokes out of their coats only serving as a reminder to Kaoru to how late the hour got between arriving to the New Year’s party and finally being able to leave it.

It’s not like he wanted to stay at the venue for the whole youth of the night. He had full intention of saying his farewells as soon as the performance was done, but that was before Rei had decided to ask him about their future as idols which devolved into casual banter that was designed to eat up all your time, and then his boyfriends did the exact same thing over the plentiful amount of food that was prepared in a way to make you never leave on time…

So here he was. Two in the morning and now just finally heading back to Chiaki’s place as he figured hours ago that two in the morning was certainly pushing it for coming home late.

“Kaoru? You seem a little ‘dazed.’ Is ‘something’ the matter?”

Despite the obvious concern within his voice, Kaoru can’t help but feel some sort of warmth through them in the cold and silent night. “Oh, not at all. I was just thinking about some things.” He stuffs his hands in his coat pockets hoping to find some warmth there “Mostly about the party and all.”

“It was pretty good, wasn’t it?” Chiaki’s voice is just like Chiaki himself, Kaoru decides. Warm and nearing the point of being too warm to handle even in the freezing night that doesn’t know anything but cold. “I had a bunch of fun talking to the other members of your unit, you sure are lucky to have such cool people to work with!”

Kaoru turns to look Chiaki in the eye and he swears just _looking_ at him is able to warm up his whole body. “And likewise to you both.” He hears himself sigh as it turns into a white puff in front of him, further driving it home how damn cold it is right now. “I’d love to work with cute juniors like yours. They sure are lucky to have good leaders like you two.”

“Does ‘Kaoru’ not like his ‘juniors?’” Kanata turns his gaze up to the sky, focusing on nothing in particular. “Loving your ‘children’ should be the number one ‘priority’ of a ‘leader.~’”

“Kanacchi, you’re so mean..! of course I love my juniors!” Kaoru takes his hands out of his pockets, cold air coming back to bite the exposed skin of his fingers. “I just think you and Moricchi lucked out big time on having such adorable ones. I bet Sakuma-san would absolutely die to have them in our unit.~”

The sounds of quickened footsteps against snow is heard for a few seconds before Kaoru realizes that Chiaki has wedged his way between Kanata and him. Just standing next to this adorable heater on legs already makes Kaoru feel warmer, even more so when Chiaki grabs both of his hands in his. “And I think your juniors are really good too! This only means that our units should do more shows together!” Chiaki lets go of Kaoru’s hands for a moment to do some silly pose.

“‘Chiaki’ sure is ‘excited’ about this.~” Kanata grabs onto Chiaki’s coat sleeve to hold him a little closer. “And if we would have ‘known’ that Kaoru thinks so ‘well’ of our ‘children…’” He laughs a bit, inaudible but the faint white puffs of air forming near his face tell the whole story. “We would have asked ‘Kaoru’ to join ‘Ryuseitai…~’”

Kaoru’s eyes widen and a vaguely language sounding noise of surprise soon follows. “K-Kanacchi…! Your kids probably already have enough public affection to deal with!” He catches glances of both his boyfriends laughing at him and and some part of him can’t help but adore the way they manage to find every aspect of him so adorable.

Something about listening to their unmatched happiness clearly evident in their laughter stirs up something within Kaoru’s heart, something that makes him feel happier than both of his boyfriends combined. He isn’t sure what it is, but all he knows is that his laughs are now mixed in with the others for no real reason. Perhaps they just sound too cute to keep a straight face at.

Eventually the night calms down once again and goes back to its quiet state, a light dusting of snow now deciding to drift down to Earth and once again remind Kaoru about how frigid the silent night is. He’s starting to see the familiar parts of the neighborhood make way, indicating that the three of them aren’t far from their destination. In his mind, Kaoru can already feel the warmth of the heater and being sandwiched two adorable boyfriends…

“Does anyone have any ‘plans’ for the ‘new year?’” Kanata’s question is certainly out of nowhere. He flashes the two boys to his left a smile as his tilts his head a bit. “Is there ‘something’ you’d like to ‘accomplish’ for the year?”

Chiaki decides now is the perfect time to do another silly pose he probably saw on a TV show. “It’s great that you ask that, Kanata! I want to be a better hero than I was this year!” From looking at Kanata’s face, Kaoru can tell that Kanata predicted this exact response from Chiaki. And he did too, but it still manages to make him smile.

“That’s a ‘very good’ plan.~” Kanata looks down to his feet, his smile only a trace of what it was mere seconds ago. “I want to ‘keep improving’ myself with ‘understanding’ you two…” At this point, no sign of his cheerful mood from before is evident on his face. “I know we’ve been ‘together’ for a bit now, but ‘understanding’ hu-”

Kaoru doesn’t seem to have noticed the thought process that fired off in him to lead him to run to Kanata’s side, hand cupped around one of his cheeks red from either the cold or emotions. He honestly can’t tell. “Kanacchi… please don’t worry about it, okay? Me and Moricchi think you’re doing great so far.” He uses his other hand to wipe away a tear threatening to fall from Kanata’s glossy emerald eyes. “Hell, if we hadn’t known you before our third year, we would have totally assumed you were never… like that before.”

“Yeah! We love you, Kanata! We’re proud of you!” Chiaki puts his index fingers on Kanata’s cheeks and moves them upward, forcing a smile on Kanata. “C’mon, Kanata! Smile for us!”

Kanata’s airy laughter soon breaks the somewhat gloomy mood as he gently shoves Chiaki’s hands off his face. “Alright, if you two ‘want’ me to ‘smile,’ then I will.~” He runs a hand through his blue hair before turning to Kaoru still situated to his left. “Kaoru? Do you want to ‘share’ what you want to ‘accomplish’ next year?”

“Oh, um…” Kaoru twirls some of his hair between his fingers. “I guess… nothing much. I’d like to get better with being here… like, with you two and all.” He stops fiddling with his hair and looks at the sky. Not a single star in sight and the occasional snowflake getting stuck in his lashes as he watches nothing. “I still feel like I’m only here because you felt bad for me…”

Not even a second after the words leave his mouth the crunching of the snow beneath Chiaki and Kanata’s feet stop, causing Kaoru to also stop dead in his tracks. He glances back to them and takes a couple steps to be close to them again but soon questions if that was a good thing to do as the only thing his boyfriends are doing is looking at him with a certain look that makes him feel like he said something absolutely horrible.

“Hakaze.” The serious tone of Chiaki’s words make him shudder a bit. “You’re here because I love you. And because Kanata loves you.” He quickly leans forward a bit to take hold of one of Kaoru’s cold hands, feeling a bit of warmth surge through him from the action. “And because _you_ love us. It has nothing to do with me and Kanata feeling pity for you, and it never will do anything with that. It has everything to do with us loving you.” He gives an uncalled for squeeze to Kaoru’s hand, sending another bit of heat through every part of him.

Not long after that, his other hand is firmly within Kanata’s. “A ‘serious’ Chiaki is cute, no?” His floaty demeanor is gone in an instant. “But a ‘serious’ Chiaki is ‘right.’ Chiaki and I ‘love’ Kaoru. And we will ‘forever’ love him.”

“Um… thanks for that.” Kaoru rubs his eyes to prevent any tears from spilling out as he exhales, condensed breath holding no sign of how shaky it came out. “Maybe we should leave all this serious stuff for when it’s actually the new year? It feels awful to go from a happy party to this.~”

Albeit faint, Chiaki and Kanata’s soft smiles find way back to them. “Yeah… I guess you’re right. We should probably keep walking now, my place is just up here so we can finally warm up a bit.”

The gentle snowfall shows no signs of stopping as the three walk up to Chiaki’s door, hand in hand. Kanata loosens his scarf a bit as Chiaki starts to work with unlocking the door. “How about ‘this?’ We should all ‘share’ a dream for the new year.~”

“And that is..?”

Kanata pulls his scarf off, fiddling with it in his hands. “I ‘think’ we should all ‘dream’ of being the best ‘boyfriends’ we can to each other. Does that ‘sound good?’”

Chiaki pulls the door open, a wave of heat already being sensed without even going inside. “Yeah! I think that’s a really good thing for everyone to work on! Not like you two need to get better at it as you’re already the most perfect people in the world…”

“Moricchi! Did you even hear Kanata!? He said we’re saving that for the new year! You can be sappy then!”

“Kaoru.” Kanata’s voice is gentle enough to rival the intensity of the snow falling. “I said we’d ‘focus’ on the ‘serious’ matters then. It’s never ‘too early’ to focus on ‘loving’ you.~” He looks to Chiaki and smiles. “Isn’t that ‘right,’ Chiaki?”

Chiaki laughs a bit and Kaoru wonders how a happy laugh that warm and beautiful hasn’t melted all the snow. “Of course! We should all focus on how much we love each other, love makes the world go around after all!” Not long after he says that, both of them disappear through the doorway, leaving just Kaoru outside.

His eyes are focused on the soft snowfall as he lets his thoughts run. A new year is a new opportunity to change after all… that’s what she would tell him all those years ago. So maybe he could change his heart for the ones he loves. To share that dream of being the best boyfriend he can be… it doesn’t seem like a bad start.

He takes his gaze off the outside world and opens the door again, warmth inviting him in as he can vaguely make out the shadows of his boyfriends trying to set up a kotatsu at three in the morning for some ungodly reason.

But in a way, he doesn’t feel any warmer being in a warmer place. Come to think about it, he stopped feeling cold at some point coming back here.

Maybe it’s because his heart was already warm enough to not care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reminder that youre always free to talk to me on twitter (@kanamidos) about this fic, chiakaokana, or if you just want to say hi!
> 
> im also thinking about writing a longer standalone piece about what kaoru mentioned here (i still feel like im only here because you felt bad for me) but im not strong enough to go full character introspection mode on these three so you just get pointless fluff Forever


	5. Story Five: Sakura Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy belated enstars!! release everyone! are you guys making chiakaokana fortnite dance in the switch mv for me? i cant load the mvs so im getting denied my content so rip
> 
> ANYWAYS long time no see! i havent had too much time to write between school and other stuff but i hope i have more time now! the timeline canonically moving forward inspired me to do a graduation fic so heres the tears! its kinda emotional at points bc its graduation but other than that its still 3 gay idiots being in love!! hope you enjoy~
> 
> (i hope i didnt overdo the sadness kjtngkrntg,, i mean i didnt guarantee the lack of angst to begin with...)

No matter how many times he blinks to make sure nothing is in his eyes, no matter how many times he looks away and back to prove this is an illusion, or anything else to ignore the situation and come back, it’s the same thing.

Pink petals.

Pink sakura petals that loosen from their branches despite the warming temperatures, then meander in the wind for however long they wish to, and ultimately make their way to the dirty concrete path below. Vivid hues of youthful pink splashed against the worn and tainted grey. Gently resting on the well traveled path in a way that makes him think the petals are asking to be crushed by an unaware shoe without a second thought.

Perhaps that last part is a stretch to some. But Kaoru thinks it's a good way to sum up the mess of feelings he has right now.

Those petals represent being young and carefree in a sense. Their beauty standing out like sore thumbs against the monotony of everything else around. 

So it makes no sense to him. How whatever god that may or may not exist decided to cut their lives violently short. Reducing their beauty to a mere spectacle that people hype up every year only to have it last for so long before the beautiful youth dies again, swallowed up by the very nature of the world that prohibits youth from being eternal.

Kaoru finds his fingers curling up inwards, grabbing on to nothing on his right and clutching his new neatly wrapped up diploma in the left.

How stupid that he has a diploma in his hand right now. If he would have known how crushing it was to even lay a finger on it, he would have surely done anything in his power to prevent ever laying a finger or his eyes upon the black object done up in a neat red bow.

That diploma was the world’s unique way to torture him. Remind him that those happy days he just barely found are long gone.

Those days that just barely avoided him. It’s almost embarrassing how long it took for Kaoru to find the joy of his youth after years of living in a dull ache of something being gone and taken away from him. Those days that were able to quell the pain and give him a new sense of… something. Was it freedom? Happiness? A reason to do something with his life after not knowing for so long? Perhaps all of them?

But just as those happy pink petals get crushed and dirtied after just one action of one person, so did all those feelings. As if someone stepped right on his heart the second he was handed the diploma and tainting it.

Of course, he always knew youth is as it sounds. It won’t last forever no matter how hard you pray. But he surely could have done with a more gentle reminder instead of feeling suffocated just standing here.

He lets his eyes flutter shut to block out the pastel pink rain he currently stands under. He can feel stray petals brushing against his cheeks, a feeling that’s so terribly soft it reminds him of the gentle kisses his boyfriends would place upon his freckled skin at early hours of the day in order to urge him awake. It makes him feel at ease for once since the graduation ceremony ended.

Another petal tickles his face, this one a little rougher but still comforting to his emotionally wrecked mind. It reminds him of Chiaki especially, never hesitating to let his love be conveyed even if he has to be a little more aggressive with it.

Kaoru decides it’s a little strange that a third one makes contact with him in the exact same spot as the first. He denounces the thought shortly after he decides this one reminds him of the way Kanata would lay feather soft kisses against his face with puffed out cheeks, something they’ve decided to dub “fishy kisses.” Just like the previous ones, the feeling has a calming effect on him, enough to make him forget-

When petal four and five make contact with his cheeks, Kaoru concludes this is definitely weird. There’s no way five flower petals that fall in random directions hit your face within the span of a minute, let alone more than one or two. Maybe someone is throwing them at him considering how dazed he must look to any ongoer. Or maybe he’s just a flower petal magnet.

Kaoru slowly lifts his head up and opens his stormy grey eyes, not surprised at the sight of more pastel pink upon even more pastel pink. He is however surprised at what’s on either side of him.

Left or right, no matter which way he looks, greets his glossed over eyes to one of his cute boyfriends. And then it all makes sense about the whole pink sakura petals brushing up against his face a bunch of times.

Naturally, this leads Kaoru to start making flustered incoherent thoughts audible despite resembling no language he knows as he looks between the two. “H-how long have you two been here!?” He finally manages to spit out after a bit of floundering.

He can hear Kanata fill the atmosphere with his bubbly laughter while Chiaki puts an arm around him. “Not terribly long! Me and Kanata were looking for you actually!” Chiaki puts a finger on the tip of Kaoru’s nose, laying a quick boop on it. “We had no luck with finding you in the school, so we kinda assumed you left already.”

Kaoru softly smiles towards Chiaki, but he can’t tell if it’s genuine or one he’d use not to worry anyone. “Oh, I was planning on going home based on how I’m here right now…” He sighs. “I guess I got a little swept up in looking at all the sakura trees that I forgot what I was doing.”

“I wouldn’t ‘blame’ you. They’re ‘very pretty’ this time of year.~” Kanata’s gentle voice somehow cuts through all the noise in his mind. Kaoru feels the arm around his shoulders leave and soon Chiaki is slowly approaching Kanata, heels scuffing along the concrete and dirtied sakura petals which cause just the tiniest twinges of pain in his heart. Kanata snatches a petal out of the air, holding it close to him.

Not wanting to be left out and alone, Kaoru now finds himself crushing the flattened flowers as he makes his way to his boyfriends. He invites himself next to Kanata to… he’s not sure. Kanata and Chiaki are busy ogling a flower petal and Kaoru’s decided he’s had enough sakura petals for one day. “So… you two think they’re pretty?” He looks down to his feet where a speck of pink clashes with the boring monotone of his shoes.

“Yeah! They only show up like this for so short of a time, so might as well enjoy them while we can!” Chiaki’s tone of voice is cheerful and bright, a stark contrast to how Kaoru feels inside. “Do you not like them, Hakaze?” His voice is still as bright as ever, but Kaoru can no doubt hear concern woven in with the statement.

“Oh, it’s not that I don’t like them or anything,” he answers while rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s just that I find it kinda depressing in a way, y’know? How they don’t live for long and all…” His gaze moves from his feet to his left hand, diploma still in hand. His boyfriends have diplomas too upon a quick glance. Of course they do. They graduated together for God’s sake.

Maybe a part of him hoped ignoring it would take his mind off the idea of the three of them no longer being in contact with each other depending on how fate plays out.

He looks back up to meet his eyes with theirs, or at least Chiaki’s. Kanata still seems occupied looking at a petal. “It is ‘sad…’ so we have to ‘cherish’ these ‘moments’ while they’re ‘young.~’” Kanata throws his arm upwards, releasing his grip on the sakura flower and letting it gently float down to the ground.

Kaoru digs his toes at the ground a bit while looking up at the fluffy pink clumps of flowers still on the branches. “So… do you two have any ideas about what you wanna do now? Like, with life now that we’re out of school,” he asks, almost hesitantly.

“I… really haven’t thought of it?” Chiaki answers. Kaoru expected nothing less from Chiaki. “But I think it would be cool to still be by your side! And Kanata’s too!” He puts both of his arms around the two boys’ waists, dragging them closer together with a yelp from Kaoru and a laugh from Kanata.

Kanata nods gently, the stray strand of hair on his head mimicking the motion. “No matter ‘what happens,’ I want to stay by ‘Chiaki’ and ‘Kaoru’ forever.” His words are so gentle it probably makes the flower petals drifting down to the ground jealous.

“Do you two really mean all of that..?” He’s asking that like the world is playing a prank on him right now.

Right after he closes his mouth he feels a warm kiss to his cheek courtesy of Chiaki. “Of course! We love you waaaaaaay too much to ever make a lie that terrible!” If he didn’t have his arms around both him and Kanata still, Kaoru assumes this would be the part Chiaki does a silly pose.

Kaoru bites his lower lip as a smile finds way to him, eyes lightly glossing over with uncried tears. “Thank God… you two are too much for me…” He rubs one of his eyes with his hand not holding the diploma, clearing it of tears.

“Hmm? Were you ‘worried,’ Kaoru?” Hearing the genuine concern in Kanata’s voice makes him feel terribly sad, like someone stabbed him in the chest a bunch.

“Ah, um… I guess.” Kaoru looks down to the dirtied petals on the ground. “It’s just that everything happened so fast… it’s been less than a year that we’ve all been truly happy, and now our youth is over…”

Kanata semi-aggressively pushes a finger against Kaoru’s lips. He can practically taste the sea salt on his skin without even having to lick him. “So? That doesn’t mean that’s ‘the end’ for us.”

“This is just the start, Hakaze!” It’s now Chiaki’s turn to pipe up. “Sure, some things may end, but that doesn’t mean that other things have to as well. Like how much I love you two! I’ll never let that end!” He finally decides to let go of his boyfriends.

“You two are way too sweet… but you’re right.” He looks to both of them with a smile as he starts to walk away from the school after what feels like an eternity “After all, who else is supposed to love you guys just much as I do?”

“Well, I ‘love you’ two the most. There’s ‘nobody’ that can beat me.~”

“No fair! You guys are clearly lying because I’m gonna love you forever and ever! You can’t beat that!”

The rest of the banter is lost to Kaoru as he looks over his shoulder one last time. A youth shrouded in pink petals behind him for sure, but who’s to say everything from that youth has to end?

Because after all, love lasts forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive changed my handle on twitter to @pukabubbles so thats where you wanna go now if you wanna talk about them, this fic, or just wanna see me talk about kanata to nobody in particular!
> 
> i swear ill be more active with this fic now lol


	6. Story Six: Two in the Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "i swear ill be more active with this fic!" HAHAHA FUNNY JOKE
> 
> anyways hello after long again! i hope youre staying safe with all the chaos around us...!! sorry for not updating this fic for centuries again, im not into enst as much as i used to be so finding time and inspo is a little hard rn... but ill never give up on Them
> 
> so as usual, enjoy this chapter! i also called this one "chiaki vs jellyfish-san" bc ive had this particular idea for a bit and thats all i had before writing it.... its actually just kaoru and kanata keeping chiaki up at 2am to watch a jellyfish show but u get it hopefully... enjoy!!
> 
> i give a clap to lucy and i think one other person i cant remember rn who i bounced this idea off of months ago... yall the realest

The time of day when the sun has set and the stars gently peek out from the inky depths of the sky to say hello is known to most to be the most peaceful time of day. It’s the time of day where the world goes to rest after busy work and academic hours. Even in big cities, the night puts everything to rest and the world has a second to finally rest as well.

Oh, how Chiaki wishes this was the case right now. A peek out the window does indeed show it's nighttime… but something is a little off. And it doesn’t take an idiot long to figure out what it could be.

He looks at his phone again, the bright white numbers on screen only having ticked slightly forward since the last he mindlessly checked. What a bunch of lies, he mentally concludes. There’s no way it’s only been four minutes since he last checked. It’s been four hours. Or at the very least, it feels like it’s been that long.

But deep down, he knows it’s only been four minutes. He knows exactly why. And that reason is the same one that’s keeping him up like this.

For whatever reason in the whole world… his boyfriends really, REALLY wanted to watch that jellyfish documentary at two in the morning for what feels like the hundredth time.

Why? They’ve seen that stupid thing far more than anyone ever should in their lives. Those two could probably recite the whole damn forty three minute long program about jellyfish of all things word for word. They can tell each other all about how a jellyfish moves, what it eats, and how it survives exactly how the program did based on how often they’ve turned this certain program on.

And it’s not like Chiaki minds. He knew he was sorta in for this stuff when he figuratively signed that contract to be the best boyfriend in the world to these two. If anything he loves to learn about what makes Kaoru and Kanata (especially Kanata) happy.

But at the same time, he kinda does mind. It is two in the morning after all, and Chiaki is tired. Very tired.

He silently huffs and tosses his phone to the side of his pillow once again. Oh, to just ignore everything right now. To ignore the bright light of the TV and to ignore Kanata and Kaoru’s occasional chattering about nothing that relates to the jellyfish hypnotically moving across the water on the screen. It didn’t take him long in this relationship to figure out that he’s not very good at ignoring this stuff.

Chiaki lifts his head off the pillow, brushing some now messy hair from his eyes. He looks at the two on his right now cuddling adorably, without his eyes growing heavy, and it doesn’t take Kaoru long to notice and smile at him. Kanata follows as well.

“Hey, Moricchi. What’s up?” he asks, making sure to keep his voice down.

Oh how Chiaki longs to say “turn the damn TV off I’m trying to sleep, I love you goodnight.”

“Could you maybe um… turn the jellyfish off? It’s kinda late, and we have class tomorrow…” He weakly smiles afterwards, hoping that maybe it’ll charm Kaoru to turn the TV off.

Kanata cocks an eyebrow in confusion. “Do you not ‘like’ the jellyfish?”

“O-of course I like the jellyfish! I just like getting a reasonable amount of sleep a little more than the jellyfish..!” Is Kanata going to take this one as a personal attack as well?

He can hear Kaoru quietly chuckle to himself. “Hmm… we can turn the volume down? Kanachhi seems waaaaay into this stuff even if he’s seen it a thousand times. I wouldn’t blame him to be honest.” Kaoru looks to the screen, where the white jellyfish is slowly swimming around. “This dude is pretty calming to watch.”

Chiaki brings himself to sit up on the bed, pulling the blanket close to him afterwards. “It is pretty cool to look at…” A sigh sneaks itself in afterwards. “But… why not watch it tomorrow at a better time? Or why not go to the aquarium and watch a real jellyfish? Or anything but watching this documentary at two in the morning?”

“Chiaki.” Kanata’s voice is as calm and hypnotic as the jellyfish on screen. “Us ‘third years’ don’t even have to ‘show up’ much anymore. We only have to be at ‘unit practice’ at this point…~” He wiggles out of Kaoru’s arms and slides closer to Chiaki. “So ‘relax’ a bit. Maybe ‘Jellyfish-san’ can help…~”

...Jellyfish-san? Kanata seriously gave a name to that random jellyfish someone filmed for forty minutes of information only ocean fanatics would retain?

Kaoru starts to laugh again, this time only much louder. “Geez, you two are adorable. Now that you mention it, maybe we should go to the aquarium tomorrow… we can look at jellyfish like Morichhi said. I don’t think we need to be in class tomorrow anyways… how about we spend the whole day there?”

Kanata’s eyes light up within an instant. “Kaoru, that sounds like a ‘wonderful’ idea.~ They’re doing a tour about ‘dolphins’ in the morning… doesn’t that sound fun?~”

For the first time that late night, Chiaki finds himself smiling. “I like the sound of that… but if it’s early, shouldn’t we sleep?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Kaoru replies. “It would be super rude to fall asleep in front of the dolphins, wouldn’t it?” He reaches over to the remote sitting at his feet and clicks a button, the light from the TV screen flickering and disappearing. “Sorry, Jellyfish-san.~”

A sigh of relief from Chiaki. Finally, he can sleep.

In a very familiar move, it doesn’t take long for the three to huddle together closer, smooshing Kanata in the middle of boyfriend sandwich. The warmth in the room always increases tenfold when they do this, a very welcome feeling of love and security washing over Chiaki. Kanata takes no time at all to snuggle into Chiaki, his head against his chest. Times like this make him feel beyond lucky to be here with these two.

After a bit of silence, Chiaki is the one to break it. “So… why do you two like watching that jellyfish show so much?”

Kanata laughs, the sounds muffled by Chiaki’s pajama shirt. “I like ‘Jellyfish -san.’” A yawn soon follows the thought. “He reminds me of ‘you’ and ‘Kaoru’ because he’s ‘cute.’”

“And even though I’ve seen it a thousand times, it’s just pretty cool? Jellyfish are pretty awesome,” Kaoru adds in.

And as Chiaki starts to give up on keeping his heavy eyes closed, he hears the two starting to exchange facts about jellyfish. At any other two in the morning, he’d be telling them to go back to sleep.

However, this two in the morning isn’t so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> every chapter reminder that ur free to hmu on twitter (@pukabubbles) to talk about this fic, chiakaokana, or just to say hi!
> 
> idk when ill make a new chapter tbh lol its hard being into enst now.... but i love this fic and the winter months are coming so perhaps expect one more before year end? lets go??

**Author's Note:**

> finally happy i have something to offer this tag!! this ship is probably my favorite in all of enstars so being able to contribute something to it makes me really happy ehehehe
> 
> im on twitter! @kanamidos is where to find me, drop by and say hello if you want~


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